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Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing 1 Dr Hamid Razak asked the Minister for Education (a) what progress the Ministry has made since February 2025 in developing and implementing sector-specific advertising guidelines for tuition and private education services; (b) whether a code of conduct has been finalised; (c) what its key provisions are; and (d) how the Ministry will monitor and enforce compliance to protect parents and students from fear-based marketing.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing The Ministry of Education (MOE) is reviewing the measures needed to discourage undesirable advertising practices by tuition and private education providers.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing Currently, all advertisements in Singapore, including for tuition services, are already subject to the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice. The code requires advertisements to be legal, decent, honest and truthful, and be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the consumer and society.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing Tuition and other private education providers should comply with this code in their advertisements. In line with the Code of Advertising Practice, the advertisements should not capitalise on anxieties to induce demand for tuition services.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing We understand that some of these anxieties stem from the perceived stakes of academic grades. To address this and to better support the holistic development of our students, MOE has made shifts in the education landscape to reduce the over-emphasis on academic results. In the coming months, MOE will be engaging parents, students and educators to see how we can continue to reduce the "arms race" in education and attendant anxieties.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing Dr Hamid Razak.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, and I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. I would like to ask the Ministry two supplementary questions.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing One, I understand there is a general code of conduct for advertisements. Similar to the medical practice where there is a specific set of guidelines for medical practices, is the Ministry looking at a specific set of guidelines for private education and tuition centres?
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing Secondly, more than traditional forms of advertisement, currently there are very subtle forms of fear-based messaging on digital platforms such as social media. Will the Ministry be doing anything to address this as well?
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. I do note that as far as tuition is concerned, it can drive a fair bit of anxiety in our parents as well as our students, and I can understand where he is coming from. As I mentioned earlier, MOE is reviewing the measures needed to discourage any undesirable advertising practices by the tuition industry. We will carefully study our options, but we also do not want to rush into implementing any additional measures. Thus far, as far as we can tell, tuition and other private education providers have generally been responsible in their advertisements.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing To the Member's second question, in relation to fearmongering in the online context especially, our position is such that if parents or members of the public find that there are some egregious or outlandish claims with regard to tuition, they can also file a report with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore, which is an advisory council under the Consumers Association of Singapore.
Advertising Guidelines for Tuition and Private Education Services to Prevent Fear-based Marketing The other aspect in relation to education is also this: we are working towards the holistic development of our students and we recognise that an over-emphasis on academic results alone will not do justice to that. So, the focus of MOE has always been towards a holistic education, wherein we also want to build the social-emotional competencies of our students to develop alongside the 21st Century Competencies, which include critical as well as innovative thinking, and at the same time, the ability to communicate and collaborate as students in schools. This remains our focus. Our desire is when we look at education, it is not merely just about academic grades alone, but also about the holistic development of the child. This is something we continue to encourage in our children as well as message to our parents.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses 2 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health regarding the 21% decline in cancer mortality since 2012 despite rising diagnoses (a) what specific policy decisions or healthcare investments does the Ministry assess as most responsible for this improvement; and (b) how has the Ministry ensured these benefits reached lower-income and less health-literate Singaporeans equally.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses Mr Speaker, advances in healthcare have led to earlier cancer detection and better treatment. They have lowered cancer mortality and have benefited all cancer patients, especially in systems like Singapore, where there is universal access to healthcare.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses That said, more work needs to be done especially in cancer prevention to modify risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and alcohol consumption, encourage vaccinations that reduce the risk of specific cancers and detect the onset of cancer early through screening.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses Mr Yip.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I understand that drugs included on the Cancer Drug List (CDL) are based on cost effectiveness thresholds. Can the Ministry clarify how these thresholds are set and how often are they reviewed? And secondly, has the Ministry assessed whether the access gap between patients relying on subsidies and those who can pay privately, is widening and what would it cost to narrow the gap.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses Mr Speaker, on the first question, the Member has already rightly pointed out that we assess for clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatments as well as clinical needs. We do not publish the thresholds as this will have impact on our negotiating leverage with the industry.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses On the second question, actually, our subsidy framework is already poised and framed to support those from the lower-income groups. Those from the lower-income groups would already get a higher means-tested subsidy. This is the whole point of the CDL because it is really nudging towards affordability. We have already seen very good early results, we have seen a reduction in the price by about 30% on average and for some treatments, 60%. So, we already are seeing very good results. It means that there is more accessibility to these drugs.
Reasons for Decline in Cancer Mortality despite Rising Diagnoses There is nothing stopping the higher-income individuals from loading themselves with expensive insurance that actually covers all drugs. We cannot stop that from happening; that is a fact of life. But what we can do is to ensure that the most clinically effective, the most cost effective drugs are available to all.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes 3 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) for an update on the implementation of key initiatives under the National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy since its launch in 2023; (b) whether time-bound targets, baselines or KPIs have since been established; and (c) how the Government assesses whether the strategy is on track to achieve its intended outcomes.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Mr Speaker, since the launch of the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy in 2023, we have rolled out several key initiatives.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes First, we have guided our mental health service providers to operate based on the Tiered Care Model. Clients can now receive care at the most appropriate setting to better meet their needs. We are also standardising mental health assessments and referral pathways to improve care coordination across different providers.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Second, we have expanded the capacity of mental health services across the acute, primary, community and long-term care sectors. We have also established the First Stop for Mental Health services such as our national mindline 1771 to help people navigate and access services more easily.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Third, we are progressively building the capabilities of community service providers through our National Mental Health Competency Training Framework. We have also trained over 160,000 frontline personnel and volunteers who are now able to identify individuals in mental distress and guide them to get necessary support.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Fourth, we have promoted mental health and well-being through our education efforts. These include Parenting for Wellness to empower parents with knowledge and skills to support their children’s mental health needs, and the Positive Use Guide which offers practical tips to the public to use technology and social media in a healthy and balanced way.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Lastly, we have strengthened workplace mental health support. The Ministry of Manpower has worked with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council to implement initiatives that build employers’ competencies in supporting employees’ mental well-being. In addition, the WSH Council launched the Handbook on Supporting Employees' Mental Health last year. Meanwhile, the Well-Being Champions Network has grown from 54 founding member organisations to 800 over the last two years.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes As part of the strategy, we established the National Mental Health Office (NMHO) in 2024 to coordinate and oversee these multi-agency mental health initiatives. This includes setting and tracking population-level and programme-specific indicators which broadly cover mental health outcomes, accessibility to appropriate care, mental health literacy and attitudes towards individuals with mental health conditions. The performance and targets are regularly reviewed.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Ms He.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Thank you, Sir. I have two supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State, the first relates to the NMHO. I noted that in last year during the Committee of Supply, it was stated that the NMHO tracks the mental health data internally. Will the Government commit to publishing these outcomes and indicators externally, for instance, through a public dashboard, similar to Australia's Mental National Mental Health Performance Framework? This will allow Parliament and the public to be able to better assess whether the strategy is on track through measurable and regularly updated indicators that are published.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes And my second supplementary question relates to measurable outcomes and the impact on the treatment gap. Beyond the listing of initiatives, my supplementary question relates to what measurable outcomes have been observed since the strategy is launched in 2023? For example, rates of self harm, suicide attempts or help seeking behaviours. I note that in 2016, there was a treatment gap with approximately 78% of individuals with conditions not seeking treatment. Has this been re-measured? And if not, how does the Ministry assess progress towards measuring and narrowing this gap?
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for her two questions. On the first question, whether the NMHO will publish data, the answer is yes. We will look at how we can meaningfully share more data publicly over time. But I must say that the strategy, while we had launched it towards the end of 2023, it has only been slightly just more than two years. Mental health is a very complex and multi-faceted issue, so you can see from our strategy we are trying to put more resources into the public domain so that those with mental health issues or concerns can have more accessibility to those resources that we put out.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes The Member will understand that for those suffering from mental health issues, it sometimes takes quite a while to convince them to seek help. So, it is not so easy for us to measure outcomes in such a short timeframe. The NMHO actually focuses on monitoring medium- to longer-term trends. In time to come, when we have more meaningful data that we can share publicly, we will do so.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes On the second question of what outcomes have been observed, this is also related to my first point that some of these are longer-term issues that we will take time to observe. But as you would have heard from my main reply, what we are doing is to make sure that in our strategy, make sure that navigation is not a hurdle, so there is a first touchpoint to the mindline resources for those who may want to seek help to be guided, to help them navigate the resources that are available, so that by the time they make the decision to step forward and receive care, they will not be lost in the system. Also, through the Tiered Care Model, we then make sure that they receive the appropriate care. Our focus now is on building the capacity and the competency of those who are delivering those tiered model care as we want those who are ready to seek help, to be able to get the help that they need.
Update on Key Initiatives under National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and Assessment of Outcomes Based on this early set of strategy, we will continue to measure indicators and in time to come, share data where available.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s 4 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what assessment the Government has made of structural unemployment risks facing Singaporean professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMETs) in their 40s and 50s; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider further strengthening current measures to support re-employment, mid-career transitions and wage sustainability for this group; and (b) if so, what measures.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s Mr Speaker, the long-term unemployment rate for resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in their 40s and 50s remained within the range observed during non-recessionary periods, indicating that structural unemployment risks remain low and stable.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s However, rapid technological change and shifts in the external economic environment mean that our workers should regularly upskill to stay up-to-date with industry needs and remain open to new opportunities. This could be more challenging for mature workers. The Government has hence been strengthening measures to support this group to strengthen their career resilience and to manage career transitions.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s We have invested strongly in developing our local workforce and several of our programmes offer a higher level of support for mature workers. For example, Workforce Singapore's (WSG's) Mid-Career Pathways Programme and SkillsFuture Singapore's (SSG's) SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme support mid-career jobseekers to acquire industry relevant experience and skills to facilitate career transitions, while WSG’s Career Conversion Programmes provide employers with more salary support to reskill mature workers into growth job roles with good longer-term prospects. Those who require a more substantive skills reboot can tap on SSG’s SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. In total, we have invested over $10 billion over the last five years on local workforce initiatives to help our workers upskill and remain competitive.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s In order to improve access to new opportunities, we need to go more upstream. Workers need to take charge of their career health and take proactive steps to improve their employability. To support them to navigate the labour market and make longer-term career plans, we have introduced digital tools and services, such as the Careers and Skills Passport, CareersFinder and career guidance programmes.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is studying recommendations to provide better support across a senior's career journey, including during mid-career transitions and later-career stages. Its recommendations will be released in the second half of this year.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s Mr Christopher de Souza.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s I thank the good Senior Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. My supplementary question, Sir, is born out of what I think is a perceived gap where PMETs, in particular, engineers and information technology (IT) people, have given me feedback on my home visits and Meet-the-People Sessions that they are finding it extremely difficult to find alternative jobs. So, I am wondering whether we can look beyond the SkillsFuture. That is my first supplementary question.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s The second supplementary question is, to look at mentorship programmes and lateral hires within the industry; that is my second supplementary question.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s And a third supplementary question, which brings it altogether, is the experience that I have with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU). And in the FDAWU, we care for hotels, food and beverage (F&B), retail and restaurants. And if there is any dip in employment in one sector, then it is a very natural shift to go into another sector, because a person who has worked in a restaurant can then work in a hotel restaurant. So, are we looking at creating tight labour markets within the IT and engineering sectors, such that if there is retrenchment, there can be lateral movements within, for example, union membership, where the unions represent multiple related industries. I appreciate the good work that the Senior Minister of State and his team are doing, but I am just here trying to propose positive steps to plug the gap where the IT and the engineering sector is concerned; and this is born out of my home visits.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s Thank you, Mr Speaker. Sir, can I perhaps ask the Member to repeat his second question again, because I did not quite catch the gist of it.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s The first supplementary question has to do with plugging the gaps. The second supplementary question has to do with lateral movements within one union structure. So, if a union represents multiple industries that are actually related, and I think engineering and IT are quite related, can we create a tight labour market within that union structure, so that we have lateral employment opportunities given? And it is arising out of my experience working closely with the FDAWU.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s Sir, I thank the Member for his clarifications and questions. On his first point, whether we can go beyond what SkillsFuture currently does to support PMETs, especially as the Member mentioned, in the engineering and IT sectors where they may face some challenges. Indeed, that is one of the streams of work that the Tripartite Workgroup for Senior Employment is looking at. As I mentioned in my main reply, we are trying to go more upstream to prevent even a displacement from a job. So, how can we help our professionals, even while they are still in employment, to try and understand better where they can pivot to, should there be a shift in the industry sector; and helping to guide them in that skills acquisition, in the looking out for opportunities and help them to navigate the kind of challenges that they may need to do in this transitional process?
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s So, going upstream, even to the age of 40s, for example, rather than wait till they are near retirement, or when they are retrenched. Because at this stage when they are in their 40s there could be some early skills obsolescence in the midst of this rapid economic change and disruptive technologies. So, we believe that if we go upstream, we can do more preventive measures to help them to remain relevant for a longer period of time. So, indeed, going beyond just acquiring skills, how can we build a better career and employment ecosystem to better support them?
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s Currently, we see that for more higher-end PMEs who are, perhaps, usually head-hunted – rather than them going and applying for a job, people come looking for them. So, we are thinking about whether some of these services can be something that can be more broadly available for PMEs who may want to avail themselves to other opportunities, even while they are still in employment. And that can apply to many other sectors, not just in engineering and IT. So, that stream of work will continue to see how we can go beyond SkillsFuture, as it currently is today.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s On the second question of whether we can facilitate more lateral movements across sectors, the Member looked at it from the union perspective, and in fact, in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), there has been a practice of helping workers who may potentially be displaced from one union sector to reach across other unions in the adjacent sector, and then facilitate their movements through an internal arrangement, because the unions in two different sectors may have more awareness of where the opportunities are. And that is what the NTUC has been doing all this while, something that we will continue to support and encourage as well.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s But on the aspect of just trying to facilitate that, I do not think keeping a tight labour market per se, is perhaps, the most appropriate tool to do that. The labour market is tight not because we want to facilitate lateral movements, but it is tight because we have resource constraints in Singapore. But despite that tightness, I think the key thing is to make sure that there is more awareness amongst the workers themselves where opportunities may lie in adjacent sectors and have a system to help them gain the necessary skills so they can pivot across. That would be something that we hope to also do, through injecting a lot more support and services in some of our career employment services that we are thinking about, so that, as an ecosystem, we have a more comprehensive way to help – whether they are engineers, IT professionals or PMEs in different sectors as well, to be able to pivot across when opportunities arise.
Structural Unemployment Risks for Singaporean PMETs Aged 40s and 50s So, I hope that gives the Member a sense of what we are doing at the national level, but also in conjunction with what the union is doing already on the ground.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling 5 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the SkillsFuture framework to better support professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) given feedback that some upskilling and reskilling programmes may cost more than existing SkillsFuture credits.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Sir, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) provides significant financial support for all Singaporeans to upskill and reskill. This includes course fee subsidies of up to 70%, as well as an opening SkillsFuture Credit of $500 at the age of 25. These Credits can be used to offset the remaining out-of-pocket costs for a range of training programmes, such as shorter standalone courses, SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes, as well as full qualifications and stackable micro-credentials delivered by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Additional support is given to mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 and above, as we recognise that they may require a substantive skills reboot, having completed their work-ready qualifications many years ago. Hence, Singaporeans aged 40 and above enjoy the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, which increases the course fee subsidy to up to 90%. They also receive a $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up, which can be used for a curated set of substantive training courses that have better employability outcomes. This $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) is generally sufficient to offset the out-of-pocket course fees for a part-time or post-diploma and most SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes. A training allowance, computed at 50% of one's average income over the most recent 12 months and capped at $3,000 per month, is also given to partially offset income loss when they undergo long-form training.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling We will continue to review and if necessary calibrate our support, so that all Singaporeans can upskill and reskill throughout life.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Mr de Souza.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Again, I thank the good Senior Minister of State, for his comprehensive reply. I seek some indulgence and flexibility from the Senior Minister of State in relation to this group of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) who are extremely specialised. They have done their post graduate studies, possibly PhDs, and they have sort of pigeonholed themselves into a specialisation. AI disruption comes and pulls the rug from under their feet, and then, they really have to reinvent themselves. And the view, and I will come to my supplementary, Sir —
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Mr de Souza, get to your supplementary questions quickly.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Yes. The view is that they need this extra support beyond what the fees allow them, or the subsidies allow them to retrain. So, can there be some flexibility injected into the review mechanism, for how much uplift they can get in terms of their subsidies?
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling Sir, I thank Mr de Souza for his question. Indeed, we are regularly reviewing the courses and the way in which we support both the training providers, the employers and trainees to reskill and upskill. The short answer is yes. We are always looking at how we will review these mechanisms of support.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling And I would say that the overall intent of what we are trying to do with SkillsFuture as a movement, is very much aligned with what Mr de Souza identified for this particular set of PMETs who have had very specialised skills which have been disrupted. Actually, we want the same type of ability to reboot one's career, to reinvent one's skillset and career opportunities, to be available to all Singaporeans.
Review of SkillsFuture Framework and Costs of Courses to Better Support Upskilling and Reskilling So, the overall structure of SkillsFuture, the way in which we support and subsidise the training providers, as well as the trainees, the Singaporeans, through the credits and subsidies, is very much along the lines that he described, not just for those with very specialised skills, but for all Singaporeans. And if this means that for some certain situations we have to look at the courses that are available, the training processes that we deliver in partnership with employers, as well as the IHLs and training providers, we are certainly open to reviewing how we do so.
11.30 am 6 Assoc Prof Terence Ho asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider extending wage offsets or other forms of support to encourage the hiring of chronically ill persons, such as kidney dialysis patients, who may not meet the prevailing definition of persons with disability.
11.30 am Mr Speaker, persons with chronic illnesses are a diverse group and a differentiated approach is needed to support them. Those who require time for treatment, such as kidney dialysis patients, may request for flexible work schedules to accommodate their treatment regime. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Requests support such requests. Others might need workplace adjustments or modified duties to ease physical strain and workloads, which employers would need to work out on a case-by-case basis. Yet, others who are on longer-term immunosuppressives may need the understanding and support of employers to provide less crowded workplaces and personal protective equipment. The tripartite partners provide various resources to help employers implement these arrangements, such as the Singapore National Employers Federation's workshops which guide employers on FWA implementation.
11.30 am The Government recognises the importance of supporting all workers, including those managing chronic conditions, to remain in employment. Beyond support for FWAs, individuals can tap on a broader suite of employment support, including job matching and career advisory services provided by Workforce Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute. These agencies work closely with jobseekers to understand their circumstances and match them to suitable roles that accommodate their needs.
11.30 am Assoc Prof Terrence Ho.
11.30 am Thank you, Sir. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. It came to my attention by reading a news report last month that kidney dialysis patients, in particular, face a significantly higher rate of unemployment. So, my question is, are there processes to review statistics that could identify certain groups who may be facing challenges in employment and is there a review process to see whether they could potentially qualify for the Enabling Employment Credit or other forms of direct support?
11.30 am I thank Assoc Prof Ho for the question. First, to better understand, the Enabling Employment Credit is mainly for folks who have more permanent disabilities in terms of physical, intellectual, sensory impairments and also developmental needs.
11.30 am With regard to the newspaper article in terms of the higher unemployment, we are also working together with tripartite partners to make sure that these arrangements are made available to raise awareness among employers on how they can do better inclusive hiring, and also working, for example, with the National Kidney Foundation's chief executive officer Yen Tan, in terms of understanding the potential employers' needs as well. And that is where the matching can work to enhance their employability.
11.30 am Order. End of Question Time. Introduction of Government Bills. Second Minister for Finance.
11.30 am [Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]
Supply Bill [(proc text) "to provide for the issue from the Consolidated Fund and the Development Fund of the sums necessary to meet the estimated expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027", (proc text)]
Supply Bill [(proc text) recommendation of President signified; presented by the Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah); read the First time; to be read a Second time after the conclusion of proceedings on the Estimates of Expenditure for FY2026/2027, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Supplementary Supply (FY2025) Bill [(proc text) "to make supplementary provision to meet additional expenditure for the financial year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026", (proc text)]
Supplementary Supply (FY2025) Bill [(proc text) recommendation of President signified; presented by the Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah); read the First time; to be read a Second time after the conclusion of proceedings on the Estimates of Expenditure for FY2026/2027, and to be printed. (proc text)]
2.41 pm [(proc text) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [12 February 2026] [1st Allotted Day], (proc text)]
2.41 pm [(proc text) "That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027." – [Prime Minister and Minister for Finance]. (proc text)]
2.41 pm [(proc text) Question again proposed. (proc text)]
2.41 pm Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
2.41 pm Mr Speaker, I would like to begin by expressing my support for the broad thrust of Budget 2026, delivered by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.